OKANOGAN COUNTY, Wash. — Three people in a party of four climbers from Renton were killed in a climbing accident in the North Cascades on Sunday.
The accident happened in the area of North Early Winters Spire off State Route 20, about 16 miles west of Mazama, at about 11:30 a.m.
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Members of the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office and Okanogan County Search and Rescue volunteers responded and found the four climbers had fallen while coming down a steep gully. Three were confirmed to be dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
The fourth climber was able to get out and call for help.
The Okanogan County Coroner’s Office told the sheriff’s office the climbers who were killed were ages 36, 47 and 63. Their identities have not been released at this time.
The Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team helped retrieve the bodies from the difficult, mountainous terrain.
“The presumed cause of the accident is an anchor failure while rappelling,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post, but the investigation is still ongoing.
